Six new members of the ETSU Athletics Hall of Fame will be inducted during the May 5th ceremony.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Feb. 27, 2013) – The ETSU Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced Wednesday the names of six former Buccaneers who will comprise the 2013 induction class to the ETSU Athletics Hall of Fame.

This most recent group will include greats such as basketball All-American Keith “Mister” Jennings, football standout and current Atlanta Falcons’ head coach Mike Smith, former men’s basketball head coach Ed DeChellis, 1992 Southern Conference player of the year in women’s tennis Kim Toohey (Reid), distance running standout and four-time Southern Conference cross country champion Seamus Power, and longtime ETSU public address announcer Norm Davis.

“We are proud to announce today the names of six ETSU greats for induction into the ETSU Athletics Hall of Fame,” said ETSU Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Dr.Richard Sander. “We look forward to a great evening of memories and having a chance to honor each of these inductees for their exceptional accomplishments. It is our hope that many of our fans and supporters from the ETSU family will join us and the inductees on this special night.”

The ETSU Athletics Hall of Fame Ceremony presented by Johnson City Honda will be held Sunday evening, May 5 at the Millennium Center located adjacent to the ETSU/MSHA Athletic Center. The public is invited to attend, and further details will be available at a later date.

This event will be part of an overall weekend of ETSU athletics’ activities, which will also include the annual Buccaneer Athletic Scholarship Association All-Sports Golf Tournament on Monday, May 6 hosted by the Blackthorn Club at the Ridges.

For more on the 2013 ETSU Athletics Hall of Fame induction weekend, please visit ETSUBucs.com.

Brief inductee bios can be found below:

1. Keith Jennings - Men’s Basketball Student-Athlete, 1989-1991

Considered by many as the greatest basketball player in ETSU history, Jennings was a second-team All-American in 1991 and led the Buccaneers to three straight trips to the NCAA Tournament from 1989 to 1991. Jennings, who ranks fourth all-time in program scoring with 1,988 career points, holds multiple records at ETSU, including career marks for assists (983) and steals (334), single season marks for assists per game (9.1) and steals per game (3.4), and single game marks for marks for assists (19) and free throws made (18). His list of honors include being named the Naismith Award winner in 1991 – which goes to the nation’s best player under six feet tall – while also earning SoCon Player of the Year and SoCon Tournament MVP honors during his time at ETSU. He went on to enjoy a long professional playing career, which included four seasons in the NBA (Golden State and Denver).

2. Mike Smith – Football Student-Athlete, 1978-1981

Played for the Buccaneers from 1978 to 1981, leading the team in tackles both in 1980 (120) and 1981 (186), and being named the team’s defensive MVP in both of those seasons. While he made a name for himself as a player at ETSU and played professionally in the Canadian Football League for a short time, it is Smith’s coaching career that has truly excelled. After spending time in the college ranks, Smith spent several seasons with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, serving as defensive coordinator there since 2003. He later accepted the head coaching position with the Atlanta Falcons in 2008, and was named NFL Coach of the Year after leading the Falcons into the playoffs with an 11-5 regular season record. He most recently guided the Falcons to the NFC Championship game during the 2012 season.

3. Norm Davis – Announcer, 1963-Present

Davis has served as the public address announcer at ETSU men’s basketball and football games for 50 years, first picking up the microphone at a Buccaneer event in 1963. In his years as the “Voice of the Bucs,” Davis missed only one football game, and was witness to many of the great moments in ETSU athletic history. He watched Tommy Woods become the first African American player to wear an ETSU uniform on the basketball floor, he called the games of the most successful Buccaneer football teams in 1969 and 1996, and he has witnessed all nine of ETSU’s NCAA Tournament seasons. He has done all of this work in a volunteer role.

4. Ed DeChellis - Men’s Basketball Head Coach, 1996-2003

DeChellis came to ETSU in 1996 and spent the next seven seasons rebuilding the proud tradition of Buccaneer basketball. Taking a team that had been depleted prior to his arrival, DeChellis ultimately led the Buccaneers to Southern Conference North Division titles in 2001, 2002 and 2003, with the Bucs collecting the SoCon Tournament title and NCAA Tournament berth in 2003. DeChellis ended his time at ETSU with a 53 percent winning percentage and collected 105 victories. He was named SoCon Coach of the Year in 2001 and 2002. He went on to lead Penn State to the 2009 NIT national championship and was named Big Ten Coach of the Year that same season. He is currently the head coach at the U.S. Naval Academy.

5. Seamus Power – Men’s Track and Field, 1991-1994

Seamus Power was one of the best Buccaneer athletes of all-time in both cross country and track & field. Power, a five-time All-American, competed from 1991-94 and still holds the 3000-meter record (indoor) at ETSU and in the Southern Conference. Power finished fourth at the 1993 NCAA Outdoor Championships (10,000m), sixth at the 1992 NCAA Championships (5000m), and fifth at the 1993 NCAA Cross Country Championships. The talented Irish runner dominated the Southern Conference, as he was a four-time indoor conference champion in the mile and 5,000-meters, and a three-time champion in the 3,000-meters. The native from Limerick, Ireland also never lost a cross country championship and was named the SoCon Runner of the Year in 1992 and 1993. By claiming the four cross country championships, Power is the only athlete to accomplish the feat in conference history and the only runner to claim four Athlete of the Year honors.

6. Kim (Toohey) Reid - Women’s Tennis Student-Athlete, 1988-1992

A four-year member of the women’s tennis squad, Kim Toohey enjoyed four stellar seasons in the blue and gold. The 1992 Southern Conference Player of the Year, Toohey finished her career with 62 singles wins, a school record at the time. Also a two-time Academic All-American and four-time Southern Conference Honor Roll selection, Toohey graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1992 with a degree in marketing.